brakes BUICK REGAL 1995 Owners Manual

Make sure the shift lever is fully into PARK (P) range
before starting the engine. Your Buick has a
brake-transaxle shift interlock. You must fully apply
your regular brakes before you can shift from
PARK (P)
when the ignition is in RUN. If you cannot shift out of
PARK
(P), ease pressure on the shift lever by pushing
it all the way into PARK (P) while keeping the brake
pedal pushed down. Release the shift lever button
if
you have a console shift. Then move the shift lever out
of PARK (P), being sure to press the shift lever button
if you have a console shift. See “Shifting Out of
PARK (P)” in the Index.
REVERSE (R): Use this gear to back up.
NOTICE:
Shifting to REVERSE (R) while ybm vehicle is
moving forward could damage your transaxle.
Shift to REVERSE
(R) only after your vehicle
is stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of snow,
ice
or sand without damaging your transaxle, see
“Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow” in the Index.
NEUTRAL (N): In this position, your engine doesn’t
connect with the wheels.
To restart when you’re already
moving, use NEUTRAL (N)
only. Also, use
NEUTRAL (N) when your vehicle is being towed.
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SECOND (2): This position gives you more power but
lower fuel economy.
You can use SECOND (2) on hills.
It can help control your speed
as you go down steep
mountain roads, but then
you would also want to use
your brakes off and on.
NOTICE:
Don’t drive in SECOND (2) for more than 5 miles
(8 km), or at speeds over 55 mph (88 km/h), or you
can damage your transaxle. Use DRIVE (D) or
THIRD
(3) as much as possible.
Don’t shift into SECOND
(2) unless you are going
slower than
65 mph (105 km/h), or you can
damage your engine. FIRST
(1): This
position gives you even more power
(but lower fuel economy) than
SECOND (2). You can
use it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud. If the
shift lever is
put in FIRST (I), the transaxle won’t shift
into first gear until the vehicle
is going slowly enough.
NOTICE:
If your front wheels can’t rotate, don’t try to
drive. This might happen if you were stuck in
very deep sand or mud or were
up against a solid
object.
You could damage your transaxle.
Also, if you stop when going uphill, don’t hold
your vehicle there with only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and damage the
transaxle. Use your brakes or shift into
PARK
(P) to hold your vehicle in position
on
a hill.
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Parking Brake
The parking brake uses the brakes on the rear wheels.
To set the parking brake,
hold the regular brake pedal
down with your right foot.
Push down the parking
brake pedal with your left
To release the parking brake, hold the regular brake
pedal down with your right foot and push the parking
brake pedal with your
left foot. When you lift your left
foot, the parking brake pedal will follow
it to the
released position.
NOTICE:
Driving with the parking brake on can cause
your rear brakes
to overheat. You may have to
replace them, and
you could also damage other
parts
of your vehicle.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on any hill,
see “Towing a Trailer” in the Index. That section shows
what to do first to keep the trailer from moving.
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Shifting Out of PARK (P)
Your Buick has a brake-transaxle shift interlock. You
must fully apply your regular brakes before you can
shift from PARK
(P) when the ignition is in RUN. See
“Automatic Transaxle” in the Index.
If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever by pushing
it all the way into PARK (P)
while keeping the brake pedal pushed down. Release the
shift lever button
if you have a console shift. Then move
the shift lever
out of PARK (P), being sure to press the
shift lever button
if you have a console shift.
If
you ever hold the brake pedal down but still can’t
shift out
of PARK (P), try this:
I. Turn the key to OFF.
2. Apply and hold the brake until the end of step 4.
3. Shift to NEUTRAL (N).
4. Start the vehicle and shift to the drive gear you want.
5. Have the vehicle fixed as soon as you can.
Parking Over Things That Burn
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Cruise Control
NOTICE: 1
0
0
0
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When using concentrated washer fluid,
follow the manufacturer’s instructions for
adding water.
Don’t mix water with ready-to-use washer
fluid. Water can cause the solution to freeze
and damage your washer fluid tank and
other parts of the washer system. Also,
water doesn’t clean
as well as washer fluid.
Fill your washer fluid tank only
3/4 full
when it’s
very cold. This allows for
expansion, which could damage the tank if
it is completely full.
Don’t use radiator antifreeze in your
windshield washer. It can damage your
paint. With
cruise control, you
can maintain a speed of about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more without keeping your foot on
the accelerator. This can really help on long trips. Cruise
control does not
work at speeds below about 25 mph
(40 km/h).
When you apply your brakes, the cruise control shuts
Off.
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Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
-
lo- 0 system, this light will come
With
the anti-lock brake
RPM x1000 on when you start your
engine and it will stay on
for three seconds. That’s
normal. If the light doesn’t
come on, have it fixed
so it
will be ready to warn you
if
there is a problem.
If the light flashes when you’re driving, you don’t have
anti-lock brakes and there could be a problem with your
regular brakes.
Pull off the road and stop carefully. You
may notice that the pedal is harder to push.
Or, the pedal
may go closer to the floor. It may take longer to stop.
Have the vehicle towed for service. (See “Towing Your
Vehicle’’ in the Index.)
If the anti-lock brake system warning light stays on
longer than normal after you’ve started your engine,
turn
the ignition off. Or, if the light comes on and stays on
when you’re driving, stop as soon as possible and
turn
the ignition off. Then start the engine again to reset the
system.
If the light still stays on, or comes on again
while you’re driving, your Buick needs service. If the
light
is on but not flashing and the regular brake system
warning light isn’t
on, you still have brakes, but you
don’t have anti-lock brakes.
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Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work
at the places where the tires meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you’re driving on snow or ice, it’s
easy to ask more of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control
of your vehicle.
Braking
Braking action involves perception time and reaction
time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That’s
perception time. Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That’s
reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 3/4 of a second. But
that’s only an average. It might be less with one driver
and as long as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination,
and eyesight all play a part.
So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in 3/4 of a second, a vehicle
moving at
60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m).
That could be a lot of distance in an emergency,
so
keeping enough space between your vehicle and others
is important.
And,
of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface
of the road (whether it’s pavement or
gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; and the condition
of your brakes.
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Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive
in spurts -- heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
-- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a
mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool between
hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much fidster
if YOLI
do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace with the
traffic and allow realistic following distances, you will
eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake
normally but don’t pump your brakes. If
you do, the
pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist. But
you will use it when you brake. Once the power assist is
used up,
it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder to push.
Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
Your Buick has an advanced electronic braking system
that will help prevent
a braking skid.
This light on the instrument
panel
will come on briefly
when you start your vehicle.
When you start your vehicle, or when
you begin to drive
away, you may hear
a momentary motor or clicking
noise. And
you may even notice that your brake pedal
moves
a little while this is going on. This is the ABS
system testing itself.
If there’s a problem with the
anti-lock brake system, the anti-lock brake system
warning light
will stay on or flash.
See ”Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light”
in the
Index.
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Here‘s how anti-lock works. Let’s say the road is wet.
You’re driving safely. Suddenly an animal jumps
out in
front of you.
You slam on the brakes. Here’s what happens with
ABS.
A colnputer senses that wheels are slowing down. If one
of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer will
separately work the brakes at each
front wheel and at the
rear wheels. The
anti-lock system can change the brake pressure
faster than any driver could. The computer
is
programmed to make the most of available tire and
road conditions.
You can steer around the obstacle while braking hard.
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on
wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly.
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Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal. If you get too
close to the vehicle in front of you, you won’t have time
to apply your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or
stops. Always leave enough room up ahead
to stop, even
though you have anti-lock brakes.
To Use Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel the system
working, or
you may notice some noise, but this is
normal. When your anti-lock system is adjusting brake
pressure to help avoid a braking skid, the
LOW TRAC
light will come on. See “Anti-Lock Brake System
Active Light”
in the Index.
Braking in Emergencies
Use your anti-lock braking system when you need to.
With anti-lock,
you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help
you more
than even the very best braking.
Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system is not functioning, you can steer but
it will take much more effort.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves. Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each
of us is subject to
the same laws of physics when driving on curves. The
traction
of the tires against the road surface makes it
possible for the vehicle to change its path when you turn
the front wheels. If there’s no traction, inertia will keep
the vehicle going
in the same direction. If you’ve ever
tried to steer
a vehicle on wet ice, you’ll understand this.
The traction you can get in a curve depends on the
condition
of your tires and the road surface, the angle at
which the curve
is banked, and your speed. While
you’re
in a curve, speed is the one factor you can
control.
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